The European Union (EU) Election Observation Mission has highlighted that the candidates in the presidential election did not include any women and urged the Maldives to promote women’s participation in national politics.
At a press conference, Chief Observer Nacho Sanchez said that the fourth presidential election since the introduction of the multi-party in the Maldives offered voters the choice of candidates and, during a peaceful campaign, fundamental rights were largely respected. He, however, noted that the pre-election environment was affected by allegations of instrumentalisation of state resources.
Additionally, Sanchez said that while the record number of eight candidates offered a wide choice to the voters, all the candidates were men. As such, he urged political parties to take robust measures to promote women’s participation in national politics in line with the commitment made by the Maldives by agreeing to the relevant international standards.
In a press release, the EU mission stated that on election day, the conduct of polling and counting was orderly and efficient and in accordance with polling procedures, with few irregularities reported. It also stated that the provision of a tactile ballot guide, for the first time, facilitated the independent voting of persons with visual impairment.
Furthermore, the mission noted that the Elections Commission of Maldives (ECM) performed its work impartially and professionally, complied with legal deadlines despite staff shortages, and made several procedural improvements to the administration of voter registration, conducted in a transparent manner. The ECM also undertook a straightforward candidate registration process.
However, the EU mission stated that the communication of ECM with election stakeholders and its voter education efforts were limited and perceptions of the independence of the commission were undermined due to the process of the appointment and removal of commissioners. It also stated that the electoral legal framework provides an adequate basis for the conduct of democratic elections broadly in line with regional and international standards subscribed to by the Maldives and that the dispute resolution system offers means of redress at all stages of the process. It, however, noted that the campaign finance framework is lightly regulated and poorly enforced. In addition, the lack of transparency of candidates' income and expenditure is also a concern, and the ECM, responsible for scrutinising campaign finance reports, lacks the capacity to adequately carry out this task.